Illuminated advertising and like sign assembly



7 Oct. 6, 1970 HAKANSSQN EI'AL 3,531,882

ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING AND LIKE SIGN ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 17, 1968 r 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 luvs-anonpaon Axe nmussong Pm nun. Missal.

Oct. 6, 1970 HAKANSSON EI'AL 3,531,882

ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING AND LIKE SIGN ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1968 \Nvc-NI'oR s: BROR Axe hAxANssonq PER Bsnru. NR: x.

United States Patent 1 3,531,882 Patented Oct. 6, 1970 hce 3,531,882 ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING AND LIKE SIGN ASSEMBLY Bror A. Hakansson, 28 Ankdammsgatan, 171, 43 Solna, Sweden, and Per B. Nassil, 22 Johannesgatan, 111, 38 Stockholm, Sweden Filed Sept. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 760,202 Claims priority, application Sweden, Sept. 18, 1967, 12,805/ 67 Int. Cl. G09f 13/04 US. Cl. 40-132 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An advertising or like sign comprises two halves which are secured to and supported by a rod which extends through the sign. The sign halves are trough-shaped and the supporting rod extends along the plane of division of the halves. The opposite edges of each half are recessed and the total depth of the recesses substantially corresponds to the transverse dimension of the sign supporting rod. Projecting flange portions are provided along the edges of the recesses and locking pieces disposed on the rod are arranged to engage over these flange portions to retain the sign halves to the sign supporting rod. Of the locking pieces, the pair engaging the said flange portions at one edge of the sign is fixed to the sign supporting rod, while of the pair of locking pieces engaging the flange portions at the other edge of the sign one looking piece is secured to the sign supporting rod and the other locking piece is movable with regard to said rod and the respective flange portion to permit disengagement of one sign half from the other.

This invention relates to signs of the type comprising two trough-shaped or cup-shaped halves with facing edges, a lighting device between said sign halves, and a supporting rod extending through and supporting the entire sign.

The improved sign according to the present invention is characterized in that the facing edges of the sign halves are recessed so as to form openings for the supporting rod to pass through and to extend along the plane of division between the sign halves, flange portions along the edges of said recesses project in the di-- rection of the rod and in pairs substantially wholly surround the openings through which the rod is passed, fixed holder bars for the supporting rod are provided at one opening for the latter, said bars grasping the outer side of each of the flange portions extending along one recess, a second fixed holder bar for the supporting rod is provided at the other opening for the latter, said second fixed holder bar grasping the flange portions at the recess of one sign half which is held to the rod by means of one of the first mentioned holder bars and the second mentioned holder bar, a third movable or detachable holder bar member for said supporting rod serves as a locking piece and is arranged in one position to grasp the flange portions at the adjoining recess of the other sign half and in conjunction with the other of the first mentioned holder bars to retain said sign half to the rod, said third holder bar member in another position being spaced from said flange portions thereby permitting removal of the sign half from the rod.

The improved sign according to the invention will be more fully described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the opened sign, the sign halves being shown in a disassembled state one below the other;

FIG. 2 is a cross section on line IIII in FIG. 1 with the sign halves taking the same positions as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the sign with the two sign halves in assembled position, taken on lines IIIIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view, on a larger scale, of the portion of the sign at the outer end of the sign supporting rod, with a locking mechanism shown in open position;

FIG. 5 is a section, likewise on a larger scale, of the same sign portion as in FIG. 4, taken on line V--V in FIG. 4.

The sign is composed of two trough-shaped halves 1 and 2 at least one being intended to form the sign proper and to carry text or like advertising matter. Disposed in the inner space defined by the sign halves are lamps, preferably fluorescent tubes X, to permit the text of the sign to be lighted in the dark. Each sign half has a projecting flange 3 and 4, respectively, which extends all around the circumference of the sign. A substantially U-shaped strip 5 is placed over adjoining flanges to keep the flanges and the marginal portions of the sign halves together. In the embodiment illustrated the strip 5 is secured along the flange 3 at two meeting sides A and B to one sign half 1 and along the flange 4 at the two opposite sides C and D to the other sign half 2. Along said sides the strip 5 will thus define inwardly open channels 6 adapted to accommodate the flanges of the opposite sign half at the assembly of the sign halves.

The edges of the sign halves are recessed approximately at the middle of the short sides of each sign half so that through passages 7 will arise in the plane of division of the sign halves 1 and 2. A rod 8 for supporting the sign is to extend through the aligned passages 7. The rod 8 preferably is of rectangular cross section and in the form of a hollow profile member. The rod is provided with a fitting 9 for mounting the rod to a wall and has a width a conforming to the width b of said through passages 7 at the short sides of the sign. The height 0 of the rod 8, however, is smaller than the height d of said openings so that there is formed between the edge surface 10 of the rod and one end of the passage 7 a space e larger than or equal to the depth 1 of the channels 6 at the upper and lower long sides of the sign.

The passage 7 at each short side of the sign is defined by a recess in the edge of each sign half. The flange portions extending along the recesses will thus present at each end of the recess a transverse portion 11 and an intermediate portion 12 which extends approximately parallel with the remaining flange.

The sign supporting rod 8 at a level with the short side of the sign facing the rod fitting 9 has two holder bars 13 and 14. These bars are attached to a sleeve 15 passed onto the rod and are so shaped as to bear against the outer sides of the flange portions 11 and 12 surrounding the respective recesses in each sign half. Inwardly curving portions 16 at each end of the holder bars are thus adapted to engage the transverse portions 11 at the flanges extending along the recesses, while the middle portions 17 of the bars engage the flange portions 12 intermediate the transverse portions 11.

The outer end of the sign supporting rod 8 penetrates the passage 7 at the outer short side of the sign and is provided with a fixed holder bar 18 of a shape conforming to that of the holder bars 13 and 14. The fixed holder bar 18 is adapted to retain the outer short side of one sign half 1 and engages over the flange portions 11 and 12 of said sign half. The outer short side of the other sign half 2, however, is adapted to be retained by means of a detachable member. In the embodiment illustrated this member is a flap 19 pivotally mounted to the holder bar 13 and provided with a locking piece 20 which conforms to the shape of the holder bar 18 and is adapted, at the inward pivotment of the flap, to engage over the flange portions 11 and 12 at the outer short side of said sign half. In the embodiment illustrated both the holder bar 18 and the flap 19 are mounted on a common holder which comprises a fitting 21 which is insertable in the rod 8 and permits a quick and simple mounting thereof. Further, the flap 19 has a spring catch mechanism 22 which is adapted, by engagement with springs or like means 23 in the fitting 21, to prevent unintentional opening of the flap 19.

At the mounting of the sign one first places one sign half 1 in position by inward displacement of the sleeve having the inner holder bars 13, 14 so that the flange portions 11 and 12 of the sign half which surround the recesses at the short side edges of the sign half can be fitted under the holder bars 13 and 18. It should be mentioned that it is of no particular importance that the height of the openings formed by the recesses on this sign half exceeds that of the supporting rod 8. For reasons of a simplified manufacture, however, the sign halves should suitably be given the same shape and therefore the recesses at the two sign halves have the same length dimensions. The fluorescent tubes or incandescent lamps X carried by the rod 8 project outside the plane of division and for this reason the other sign half cannot be moved towards the first sign half diagonally or laterally but has to be passed over the tube or lamp holders so that the sides of the troughs forming the sign halves 1 and 2 are almost aligned. When the second sign half has been brought into close proximity to the first sign half, the strip 5 attached to the upper edge D of the second half 2 is hooked over the flange 3 at the upper edge of the already mounted sign half 1 and at the same time the downwardly facing flange 3 of the sign half 2 is introduced into the channel of the first sign half 1 along the lower edge B thereof. When this is done the sign half 2 shall be laterally offset to such an extent that the flanges 3 and 4 at the short sides of the sign can freely pass the strips disposed at the sides A and C of the sign. Considering that the recesses at the short sides of the second sign half 2, as already mentioned, have a length dimension exceeding the height of the rod 8 by the depth of the strip channels 6 the upper and lower flanges can be readily fitted into their channels. During this operation the rod 8 will thus be moved from the lower end of the recesses to the upper end thereof. When the upper and lower flanges have been fitted into their respective channels the sign half 2 is laterally shifted whereby the flange portions 11, 12 surrounding the recesses at the inner edge of the sign half 2 will be engaged under the holder bar 14. The locking piece of the locking flap 19 is swung inwardly over the corresponding flange portions 11, 12 at the outer edge of the sign half 2 whereby said sign half is held fixed against displacement both vertically and laterally.

Of course, several modifications of the advertising sign or the details thereof are conceivable. The locking flap 19 need not necessarily be arranged for pivotment but can be associated with a sleeve or like member movable along a projecting rod end. This is of particular advantage if several signs should be mounted in succession on a rod. If the sign is very high it may be suitable to use two or more supporting rods each of which has a locking flap or like member.

The invention is not therefore limited to the embodiment described in the foregoing and illustrated in the drawings but can be modified in several ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. A sign comprising two trough-shaped or cup-shaped halves with facing edges, a lighting device between said sign halves and a supporting rod extending through and supporting the entire sign, wherein the facing edges of the sign halves are recessed so as to formopenings for the supporting rod to pass through and to extend along the plane of division between the sign halves; flange portions along the edges of said recesses projecting in the direction of the rod and in pairs substantially wholly surrounding the openings through which the rod is passed; fixed holder bars for the supporting rod at one opening for the latter, said bars grasping the outer side of each of the flange portions extending along one recess, a second fixed holder bar for the supporting rod at the other opening for the latter; said second fixed holder bar grasping the flange portions at the recess of one sign half which is held to the rod by means of one of the first mentioned holder bars and the second mentioned holder bar; a third movable or detachable holder bar member for said supporting rod serving as a locking piece and being arranged in one position to grasp the flange portions at the adjoining recess of the other sign half and in conjunction with the other of the first mentioned holder bars to retain said sign half to the rod, said third holder bar member in another position being spaced from said flange portions thereby permitting removal of the sign half from the rod.

2. A sign as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sign halves are provided along their facing edges with outwardly projecting flanges which are adapted to bear against each other and are associated with a preferably U-shaped strip surrounding the flanges.

3. A sign as claimed in claim 2, wherein the U-shaped strips are fixedly secured in such a way to the flanges of one sign half which extend upwardly and in one lateral direction as well as to the flanges of the other sign half which project downwardly and in the opposite lateral direction that there is formed between the flange associated with the strip and one limb portion of said strip a channel for accommodating the flange of the opposite sign half which takes the corresponding position, the recesses at the edges of the sign halves for the supporting rod have a depth substantially corresponding to half the rod thickness but at least at one sign half said recesses have a length larger than or substantially equal to the width of the rod plus the depth of the flange-accommodating channels which extend parallel or approximately parallel with the direction of the sign supporting rod, the fixed and the movable holder bars at the thus arranged sign half conforming to the flange portions extending along the recesses, the length dimension of the recesses in excess of the width of the rod permittingwithout greater lateral displacement and disengagement of the flanges from the channels.

4. A sign as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable holder bar is a pivotally mounted flap carrying a locking piece shaped in conformity with the flange portions with which it is intended to engage, and the pivotally mounted flap has associated with it a spring catch mechanism adapted to prevent unintentional displacement of the flap.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,769,263 11/1956 Wamser 40132 2,940,198 6/1960 Ressel 40-145 X 3,013,475 12/1961 Spangler 40l32 3,116,027 12/1963 Kleppin 40l45 X EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner R. CARTER, Assistant Examiner 

